Director, Government Affairs and Policy

August 16, 2018

Location: Alameda, Bay Area, California; willing to consider remote candidates who are able to travel to the corporate office.

Opportunity

Natel’s mission to deliver high value renewable energy while protecting or enhancing watershed ecosystems is driven by three businesses: 1) Sustainable distributed hydropower – we harness the power of moving water to deliver distributed, flexible, reliable, renewable energy at a cost competitive with traditional generation sources such as coal and natural gas. We have developed and produce a new hydroelectric turbine called the hydroEngine® that reduces project footprint and supports safe fish passage. 2) Project development – we have a lean team dedicated to developing competitive, high value distributed energy projects at existing low dams, irrigation canals, and other low head hydropower sites in North America utilizing the hydroEngine as well as solar and battery energy storage. 3) Our Upstream software team has built a suite of tools that use remote sensing data from satellites and advanced machine learning techniques to help conservation organizations and corporate customers plan, optimize and monitor water-related projects with less time and cost.

Description

The Director of Government Affairs and Policy is responsible for monitoring state and federal activities, promoting policies to enable project development activities, and broadening awareness around Natel’s mission for carbon free, distributed hydropower and Upstream’s geospatial water intelligence software. This position will nurture and grow Natel’s relationships with state and federal legislative representatives, public utility commissions, utilities and hydro fleet owners, water and energy associated agencies, and regional policy advocacy and environmental organizations. This position will work with the three business units to identify and create new markets and the strategies, policies and legislation needed for success both in North America and overseas.

This position is expected to:

Analyze competitive, market, and regulatory/compliance trends

Monitor state and federal policies, tax incentives and market tariffs

Develop functional strategies and specific objectives, coordinating closely with other senior executives, to facilitate the growth of all Natel businesses

Influence communications and marketing activities

Manage external lobbyists and consultants as needed

Hire junior staff as needed

Qualifications sought:

7+ years of government affairs and policy experience within renewable energy or water industries. Knowledge of policy advocacy groups for and work experience with other renewable generation resources such as wind, solar or battery energy storage preferred.

Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher

Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as great listening skills

Commitment to team success, a strong work ethic and communicating best practices

Results-driven and detail-oriented with strong organizational skills

An entrepreneurial, proactive and resourceful attitude, with the ability to work independently and operate in an open and fluid environment; experience working in fast-paced, startup/growth stage companies a plus

Willingness to share creative and out-of-the-box ideas

Ability to travel 15-25% of the time to state and national (mostly Washington, D.C.) meetings, conferences and networking events.

This role is for you if:

You want to be part of a dynamic company disrupting the hydropower and water intelligence industries. You have experience in initiating discussions and securing meetings for state and national policy changes to challenge outdated standards causing roadblocks to development. You enjoy working with business units to create new and expand existing markets. You consider yourself a thought leader and are inspired by contributing to moving toward a carbon-free grid. You find the process of turning new ideas into action exciting, not daunting. You have been building your connections to help deliver your message.

Company Information

Founded by MIT alumni, Natel Energy, Inc. is located in beautiful office and manufacturing space in a repurposed hangar on the former Naval Air Station in Alameda, CA. We offer competitive salary, equity ownership potential, health insurance, and an opportunity to work in a fun and intense environment with highly skilled, creative people. We are recruiting results-driven and self-motivated candidates with proven leadership abilities.

Contact

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to jobs@natelenergy.com.

Please reference “Director, Government Affairs & Policy” in the subject.